WADKE ISLAND

Grey River Argus, 22 May 1944, Page 5

WADKE ISLAND

ENTIRELY OCCUPIED -Remaining Japs Wiped Out allied progress in new GUINEA. (Special to N.Z. Press Assn.) (Rec. 10.5) SYDNEY, May 21. All Japanese resistance on WaKae Island, Dutch New Guinea, has been overcome. Enemy troops were trapped on the north-west corner ot the island. They fought back desperately with mortars, machine-guns and rifles. They were finally overcome, after being hammered mercilessly by Allied land, sea, and air forces. Complete American occupation of Wakde is reported by General MacArthur’s latest communique. Wakde airfield fell to United States invasion troops early oh Thursday afternoon, and engineers are already reconditioning it for use by Allied planes. With Wakde air base, nine strategic airfields have been captured from the Japanese since the Americans landed in the Hollandia —Aitape area (125 miles east of Wakde Island) on April 22. The airfields m addition to Wakde are Madang, Alexishafen (two), Tadje (Aitape), ana' Hollandict, Sentani, Cyclops, and Tami (all in Hollandia area). The occupation of Wakde brings the Japanese naval and airbase of Palau (seven hundred miles to the north-west) within effective striking range or Allied bombers. An important Japanese Dutch New Guinea base, of Manokwari is 350 miles away, and Schouten Islands in Geelvink Bay, are only 250 miles away. On the Dutch New Guinea mainland, where American troops made new landings on Wednesday and Thursday in conjunction with the Wakde invasion, activity is confined to light skirmishing. Patrol clashes have been reported on the eastern flank of the beach-head in the Tor River area. The Americans have captured much booty, including barges, trucks, motorcycles, and medical supplies. The Japanese have been making desperate attempts to evacuate from Sarmi, west of the Allied beach-head. For several days a large party of Japanese, originally estimated at two thousand,. have been trudging arduously over mountains towards Sarmi from the Hollandia' area. The track is lined with bodies of Japanese who died from starvation, malaria, or dysentery. Allied air activity over New Guinea has been increased. . Liberators destroyed two of eight intercepting fighters when they left Manokwari airfield unserviceable in a noon raid. One large and two small freighters in Manokwari harbour were destroyed. Noemfoor and Biak Islands, in Geelvink Bay, have , been raided. Three enemy planes ’were destroyed. Four others were damaged. In British New Guinea, the We-wak-Hansa Bay coast is under continual aerial pounding. Airstrips have been again cratered, and coastal roads and bridges badly damaged. Australian troops driving along the coast are now west of But.

Allied Strategy TO BRING RELIEF TO CHINA WASHINGTON. May 21. Vice-Admiral John Greenslade. in a speech at San Francisco, said: Our broad strategy in the Pacific aims at isolating the Japanese Dutch East Indies by a drive. straight across the central Pacific to the shores of China. General MacArthur will continue moving westward along the fringe of the Dutch possessions. Meanwhile Admiral Nimitz will drive straight across the Pacific, and eventually. without the immediate necessity of clearing the Dutch East Indies. we may be able to support the Chinese effort by direct contact with the Eastern Asiatic mainland. Once ashore in China Allied forces will ioin the Chinese in concluding the phase of mainland operations while our fleets close in to impose an inpenetrable blockade of J’apan. Next Allied Objective ISLAND IN EAST INDIES (Rec. 10.20) WASHINGTON. May 21. The United Press of America says: Military observers here believe that after the capture of Wadke Island, the Allies will be ready to invade Halmahera. in the Dutch East Indies, which is the last major land barrier to the back door of the Philippines. Wadke Island provides an excellent air base from which to subject Halmahera to steady aerial attacks. The threat to Halmahera ■means that all of the Dutch East Indies must be kept alert for Allied attacks, which may come from any direction. Halmahera is regarded as the most strategically located of all Japanese-held islands in the South-west Pacific. Military analysts expect the Japanese to put up a more determined fight to retain it than anv bases at present under attack. It therefore is expected that an operation against Halmahera will necessitate the greatest concentration of amphibious forces yet collected in the Pacific.